Small Scale Use Of Sortition In Governments Picks Up Steam

Sortition was essential to the democracy of Ancient Athens but is largely unknown today. According to a great definition by Tim Dunlop in a recent Guardian article, “sortition means to choose – to “sort” – by the use of lots; that is, by random sample, like the method we use to choose jurors for a court case”. The latest news on this front comes from a really interesting release by the Sortition Foundation. Here is an excerpt:

Not wild in the sense of happening in the bush. Nor wild in the sense of crazy. Just wild in the sense of an explosion of interest. For example:

• • the Austrian government has announced a national climate assembly;
  • the UK government has announced a (sortition selected) Public Advisory Group “to inform new policies to help England come out of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic” (and yes, we are doing the selection);
  • the Cantabrian (Spain) regional government is using sortition to discuss “a fair and inclusive ecological transition”;
  • not to mention local councils in Australia in Mornington, Lane Cove, Greater Dandenong, Bayside, Kingston and many more.

And this is just the smallest tip of an immense iceberg of sortition events happening around the world. Democratic transformation here we come!

Read the full article here.